NEW DELHI: Voting in the first phase for 91 parliamentary constituencies across 20 states on Thursday was largely peaceful, though three persons were killed in stray violence in Andhra Pradesh, which witnessed simultaneous Assembly elections as well. There was some violence in West Bengal, too, but the polling percentage was a healthy 80. Reports of malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) upset voters in Andhra Pradesh. There were a few incidents of goons smashing EVMs in both Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra later said 0.63 per cent EVMs, 0.61 per cent control units and 1.7 per cent malfunctioning VVPATs were replaced. In Andhra Pradesh, one YSR Congress and one TDP worker were killed in clashes at Veerapuram in Anantapur district, while another YSRC worker was beaten to death at T Sadum village in Chittoor district.
Clashes between the two sides were also reported from several other places, such as Sattenapalli, Narasaraopeta, Allagadda and Chinakudama. However, people turned up in large numbers, particularly women and first-time voters, to exercise their franchise. The overall voting percentage in the state is expected to be around 80 per cent, two per cent higher than in 2014.
In the big battleground of Uttar Pradesh, polling in eight Lok Sabha seats recorded 63.69 per cent turnout, with Saharanpur topping the list at 70.68%. Muzaffarnagar, which was at the centre of a raging communal strife in the run-up to 2014 general elections, recorded 66.66%. Ghaziabad was at the bottom with 57.60 per cent.
Four constituencies of Bihar averaged 53.06 per cent where police recovered two bombs and defused them, while Maharashtra (7 seats) witnessed 56 per cent polling, Odisha (4) 68% per cent, Assam (5) 68 per cent and J&K (2) 55 per cent. While Jammu recorded 72.16 per cent polling, Baramulla polled 35.01 per cent.
With 77 per cent turnout, polling in Maoist-affected Dantewada of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh was peaceful. Maoists exploded bombs at Narayangarh in Chhattisgarh and at two places in Waghezari of Gadchiroli. Stray cases of the indelible ink put on voters’ fingers coming off, were also reported.
NaMO TV gag order
The EC on Thursday directed Delhi’s chief electoral officer to remove all political publicity content that are being aired on NaMo TV without pre-certification. The CEO had approved the logo of NaMo TV, but not its content, which comprises old speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Shah on ‘termites’
Illegal migrants from Bangladesh are termites, says BJP chief Amit Shah at rally in West Bengal’s Raiganj, promises to throw them out of India after getting a fresh mandate